Scientists have discovered a gene whose understanding of the work provides an answer to the question of why being a male is endowing a person with a higher risk of developing schizophrenia and autism.. Details of the scientific work - in the journal Nature Communications.

The authors of the project, researchers from the University of Maryland in Baltimore, confirmed: diseases of the nervous system, such as schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder, dyslexia, idiocy and oligophrenia and idiocy, are more common among men than among women.. For such a difference, experts say, responsible OGT gene.

According to scientists, this gene plays a significant role in the development of the brain in the embryo, it determines the specificity of reactions to stimuli. Under conditions of stress for the body, OGT triggers reactions that promote its adaptation without serious victims in the form of damaged cells. Experiments with mice helped the genetic scientists to understand this..

"The OGT gene is located on the female X chromosome, and in the body of women, especially in their plancenta, it is several times more active than in the cells of men. The relatively low level of OGT activity in the male body can explain why they are more likely to become victims of schizophrenia and autism, ”is the hypothesis of the authors of the new work..

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